December 21 - National Crossword Puzzle Day

 

Happy National Crossword Puzzle Day! On December 21, today commemorates the birth of a challenging word game enjoyed by millions around the world.   

The first crossword puzzles were published in England in children’s books and other publications. 

They were simple word games derived from the word squares where letters were arranged in a square so that the words read the same across and down. 

The object of a crossword puzzle is to fill in the white spaces of a grid with the correct words using the clues provided.  

Black spaces separate individual words. The clues to more challenging puzzles read like riddles, making the game more complex. 

Many tout the benefits of crossword puzzles. Not only are they fun, but challenging crossword puzzles may help delay the effects of dementia or sharpen the brain for problem-solving.  

They can also increase vocabulary and even relieve the mind from the day’s stress by focusing on something other than worldly problems. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Buy a crossword book or find one online. Enjoy some popcorn while you puzzle your way through your favorite crossword! 

National Day Calendar® also suggests these fun ways to celebrate: 

• • Try completing different types of crossword puzzles like a cipher or a cryptic.  

  • Are you bi-lingual or learning a new language? Consider completing a crossword puzzle in your second language.  
• • Challenge someone to a race. Earn bragging rights for completing your puzzle first. 
• • Try your hand at creating a crossword puzzle. Sometimes forming the clues is more challenging than the puzzle framework.  
• • If you create your own crossword, see if you can fit a loved one’s name into it.  
• • Challenge yourself to complete a puzzle a day. 

Use #CrosswordPuzzleDay to post on social media. 

Educators, check out Week 15 of the National Day Calendar Classroom for a lesson designed for you. 

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day-calendar-classroom-week-15-december-17-23-2017/ 

HISTORY 

British-born inventor and journalist Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, United Kingdom receives credit as the inventor of the word game we know today. He created what is considered the first known published crossword puzzle.  

The puzzle first appeared in the December 21, 1913, edition of the New York World newspaper. 

#CrosswordPuzzleDay 

@NewYorkMag 

@washingtonpost 

@nytimes 

@Simonandschuster 

@HarperCollinsPublishersUK 

@latimes 

@Amazon 

@nichecinema